//-------------------------------------------------------// A Visitor From Beyond -by Dexidus- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1 A Visitor From Beyond By Dexidus It was the night of the 22nd of Frostfall in the land of Skyrim, and Benjamen, a young wizard, was settling in to practice his newly learned arcane powers. "Ah, finally some peace & quiet. Now I can continue my studies and practice my skills once more," he exclaimed to the empty living room before him. Although Ben was young, he had a powerful grasp on the schools of magic, as well as various other abilities he had learned through study. One type of spell he enjoyed in particular were Ritual Spells. These were ancient forms of magic used by the elves back in the Mythic Era. Another, and more recent discovery, was the power of Nature Essence. This magic could be used to alter the genetics or life force of another living being. He always found it fun to cause some occasional mischief with these spells, but knew not to take it too far, or he'd get himself in trouble. "Well, I think it's finally time I tried it," the young mage said to himself. What Ben was referring to as "it" was none other than the most powerful Ritual Spell he had ever researched: A spell that allowed the user to travel across dimensions at will. It was very costly to the user, draining a good chunk of their magicka and rendering them exhausted after the trip is finished. Ben was planning to use it to discover new lands beyond the world of Nirn, the world in which he resided on. Months of preparation had gone into this spell, and Ben knew he was ready. He stood in the circle of candles he laid out, and prepared the spell in his hands. A shining blue orb appeared in each hand, and as Ben started to wave his hands around to cast the spell, they left blue streaks in the air. All was going according to plan as the young wizard gathered energy in his hands. A blue corona of energy started to swirl around the perimeter of the candles, and soon more followed. It seemed nothing could go wrong. The blue balls of energy in Ben's hands had turned into white flames as he put his hands together to cast it. He raised his hands up into the sky, as if firing a beam of energy, only that wasn't what he was doing. A light blue dome of energy surrounded him, and he felt his body start to tingle. Then, he heard a spark. A spark? How could this be? The spell was malfunctioning? But he had prepared for months! How could this spell go wrong now? All this was circling in Ben's mind as he heard more sparks. He wanted to stop casting the spell, but it was too late. It was already in full swing. The tingling soon turned into a searing pain, as if he was on fire. Benjamen couldn't stand it. The sounds of the sparking were relentless. His ears were assaulted with the loud, rapid sparking noises and he could practically feel his skin burning off from the pain. His vision slowly blurred, then turned white. All was gone. Nothing. That's what Ben saw. Nothing but white. Where was he? Was he dead? Did the spell kill him? Or did it work? Has he traveled to a new dimension? Would he be blinded by the whiteness forever? All this raced through the wizard's mind as he thought of a solution. He tried to move, but found himself unable to. As the thought of being trapped in purgatory forever lingered in his mind, the white began to vanish, replaced by a deep black, as if his eyes were closed. He feared to open them, to lay eyes upon the world he is in now. At least he knew he could hear, because a voice had seemingly spoken to him. "Why are you sleeping on the ground, silly? The ground isn't a bed." Ben opened his eyes to find 6 ponies looking down upon him with puzzled faces. He gasped, and quickly sat himself up, startling the others with his quick reaction. "Wh...where am I?" Ben asked, unsure if the ponies could even answer him. "Why, you're in Equestria, sugarcube. Don't ya know that?" The peach-colored pony said with a smirk. "No... no I don't. I'm not from around here, actually," Ben replied, still unsure as to whether he's hallucinating or not. "Well, if you're not from around here, where could you possibly have come from? I mean, it's not like you crossed dimensions or anything," The purple one sarcastically remarked. "Actually, that's exactly what happened. I'm Benjamen, a wizard from Skyrim," Ben replied. "Skyrim?" The ponies asked. "Is it in the sky?" The blue pony with the rainbow mane added, seemingly excited to see it. "No, I'm afraid it's not in the sky. I don't even think it exists here. You see, I hail from Tamriel. I tried a spell to travel between dimensions, but it backfired, and I guess I ended up here." The 6 ponies looked amazed as Ben told the relatively short tale of how he got here. "Anyway," the wizard added, "I've told you my name. Now I'd like to hear all of your names." Ben listened as the 6 gave him their names. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. After that, Twilight went up to Ben and asked, "Well, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like you to see the princess. She'd surely be delighted to see you, especially since you aren't from our... dimension." As Ben & the 6 ponies walked through Ponyville to the train station, Twilight became curious of Ben's arcane abilites, so she inquired about them. "Oh, I know lots of spells, some ancient, some more modern." Ben replied with an eager grin. "Id be happy to show you some, if you'd like." "That sounds lovely," the purple unicorn replied with an enthusiastic smile. "Meh, Magic Schmagic," Rainbow Dash remarked. "We've already seen all Twilight has to offer. If you can't bring anything new to the table, I'm not interested." "Oh, I'm sure my spells will prove to be quite intriguing," Ben responded. The young mage readied a paralysis spell in his right hand, then turned around and aimed at Rainbow Dash, who was conveniently using her wings to hover above the ground at the moment. The blue Pegasus looked surprised, but decided not to say anything. Ben then casted the green orb in Rainbow Dash's direction, and watched as it hit its mark. She stopped flapping her wings and fell to the ground, landing on all 4 hooves, but didn't move a muscle during the whole thing. her wings were still where she stopped them. She didn't even blink. the other 5 ponies looked amazed at the sight of the paralyzed Rainbow Dash. "What did you do?" Rarity asked, worried about her friend. "Oh, I just paralyzed her. Don't worry, she'll be fine. The spell will wear off soon enough," Ben replied with a smile. As they boarded the train to Canterlot, Twilight listened eagerly as Ben explained some of his other magical abilities. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2 "My personal favorite is Alteration magic." Ben said as he continued to explain is knowledge to the group all through the ride to Canterlot. "There's so many useful abilities." "Like what?" Rainbow Dash asked, getting bored of listening to Ben. "Well, like Paralysis, the spell I used on you." Ben replied with a smile. Rainbow Dash shuddered at the memory of the experience. "There are also spells that let you breathe underwater, walk on water, shield yourself from harm, and Telekinesis, but those are just a few." Ben continued. "Telekinesis? Like, manipulating stuff from a distance?" Twilight asked. "Oh, we know that, too. Watch." Twilight then used her magic to lift up a stray piece of paper up off of the floor. "Ah, I see," Ben replied. "Anywho, how much longer until we get to, what did you call it, Canterlot?" "Shouldn't be much longer," Twilight replied, looking out the window to judge the distance. Soon enough, the train arrived at Canterlot Station, and the group disembarked. Ben followed the ponies' lead as they walked through the streets to the castle. Ponies left & right gazed in awe at Ben as he walked, wondering who, or better yet what, he was. Ben looked around nervously, then asked: "Why is everyone staring at me?" "Well, it's not too often we get people like you here," Twilight sarcastically remarked. "In fact, nobody like you has ever been here." "Well, how 'bout that," Ben said, scratching his chin as he looked around at the city's features. As the group arrived at Canterlot Castle, the guards at the front door gave Ben a look everyone else did, as least until Twilight asked them to open the door. The guards snapped out of it and opened the door for them, and as they walked in, Ben couldn't help but look around in awe. "It's so beautiful in here," Ben exclaimed. "Yeah, it is a sight to behold, isn't it?" the purple unicorn responded, unable to help but look around herself. "Twilight Sparkle, why have you come here?... and who is this you've brought with you?" A voice from the other end of the room said with a rather loud voice, possibly to cover the distance of the room. Twilight and the other 5 ponies knelt down in respect, and Ben rubbed his chin in curiosity before noticing who they were doing it for and knelt down himself. "Rise," Princess Celestia said to them after a few seconds of basking in the moment. "Good afternoon, princess. Anywho, we've come here to introduce you to this fellow we found lying in the grass outside Ponyville." Twilight explained. "And how did he get here?" Celestia inquired. "According to his story, Ben came from another dimension using a spell, but something went wrong and he ended up here. He seems to be a nice, umm... whatever he is." "Human." Ben added, smirking. "I'm a human." "Well, human, what do you plan to do now that your here?" Celestia asked, her question aimed at Ben. "Hmm, I guess I'll get myself acquainted with the nature of this world. I'm sure this world is far different from mine. I'll probably study some of this land's arcane knowledge, if that's alright." "A mage? My, you humans must be pretty talented. Anyway, I suppose that's alright, as long as you don't use your magic for evil." "Alright. Well, I guess I'll take my leave." As the group walked out the door, Ben said, "Well, I'll see you girls at, erm, Ponyville, was it? Yeah, that's it. I'll see you there." "But, don't you have to ride the train home? How are you going to get there before us?" Twilight asked, puzzled. "Oh, I took the liberty of casting a Mark spell back there. All I have to do is cast Recall and poof! I'm back there in an instant." Ben readied a green rotating cube in his hand, and prepared to cast it. As he raised his hand to cast the spell, he disappeared in a green puff of smoke. He then reappeared at the location he marked in another green cloud of smoke. "Man, I love teleporting," Ben said to himself with a grin. As Ben wandered Ponyville waiting for the others to get back, he decided to stop by the library, if there was one, to browse the reading material. After asking around, he was directed to Twilight's library/house, which to his surprise looked like a giant tree. Deciding not to judge pony architecture, he opened the door and walked inside. Ben browsed the books on the shelves and found nothing appealing until he found a book titled "Practical Magic for the Practical Wizard" and grabbed it. Unable to find a seat, he sat on the floor and opened the book. He was about a third of the way through the book when Twilight walked in. "What are you doing?" the purple unicorn asked. "Reading." Ben replied with a flat voice as he continued doing what he said he was doing. Twilight shrugged it off and went about her business. After Ben finished the book, he decided to have a little fun. You see, Ben wasn't just a mage. He also had sneaking skills. He decided to use this to surprise Twilight. He readied an invisibility spell in his hand, and as he crept up the stairs to Twilight's room, cast it. The invisible Ben was worried that the door would be closed, and if he opened it, he would become visible and the surprise would be ruined. He found that the door was indeed open, and was glad. He crept in the room to find Twilight reading a book of her own. As he approached, he grew ever more careful. Finally, when he was close enough, he poked Twilight in the flank. Twilight jumped in surprise and dropped her book on the floor, then turned around to find Ben, visible and giggling. "How did you sneak up on me like that?" She asked. "I just used my invisibility spell," he responded, still giggling. "Invisibility?" Twilight asked. "You can turn yourself invisible at will?" "Sure can. Watch," Ben said as he readied the Invisibility spell in his hand, then casted it. As he did that, his body disappeared in a bluish-black poof. Twilight's jaw dropped as Ben snuck around behind her and poked her flank again. She jumped in surprise again, and Ben started giggling again. "Stop doing that!" Twilight said with a loud tone. "Also, if I touch anything while invisible, the spell wears off. That's the main drawback," Ben added. "That's pretty cool. Speaking of which, is there any way I could learn your spells?" Twilight asked. "Sure! All I need are blank tomes to write them in. You wouldn't happen to have blank tomes, would you?" "Uh, I think so. Let me check," Twilight said as she trotted off to the storage room. Some time later, she came back, magically holding a box of blank tomes. "Here. Will these do?" "Yep. I'll get to writing once I get a moment," Ben replied. "Also, there's something else I wanted to show you. It's this magic I recently discovered called 'Nature Essence' which lets me alter the genetics and life force of another living being. I was hoping I could try it on you." Twilight thought about it for a moment, then said: "Sure, why not?" "Okay, now this may sound weird, maybe even crazy, but I'm gonna have to remove your horn first." Twilight raised an eyebrow at what Ben just said. "And why is that?" "Because the only pony I've seen with both wings & a horn is Princess, erm, Celestia, was it? Yeah. Anyway, I don't think it would be very ethical if I did that to you, too." "You're going to give me wings?" Twilight asked. "But I can already do that. Besides, they aren't very stable either, especially after the incident with Rarity's wings disintegrating in the sun." "But are they permanent?" Ben asked with a smirk. "Erm, no..." The purple unicorn responded. "Well, I can resolve that. With Nature Essence, I can give you wings that are permanent, will never disintegrate, and best of all, they'll be your own flesh & blood." Twilight was amazed at what Ben said. "Flesh & blood? So, it will be like I was born with them?" "Yep. And when you're done, I can take 'em off and put your horn back." Now Twilight was curious. Wings that are a part of you just conjured up out of nowhere? Impossible. At least, to her knowledge. "Okay," Twilight finally said, "Do it." Ben placed his hands around Twilight's horn, and then started to focus. As he did that, her horn started to glow. Ben's eyes started to glow as well, and after about 10 seconds, Twilight's horn was gone, just like that. Twilight seemed nervous, since without her horn, she can't use her spells. "Will I still remember all of my spells once I get my horn back?" Twilight asked. "Of course," Ben replied. "Now hold still." This time, Ben placed his palms on Twilight's abdomen, where wings would be. His eyes started to glow again, and soon 2 glowing figures appeared under Ben's hands. After about 10 seconds, the green glow dispersed, Ben released his hands, and Twilight stood there with a pair of wings. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3 Twilight stood there, unable to believe that Ben had used magic to give her permanent wings... that were actually a part of her! Years of study & being Celestia's student never unearthed such magical abilities. She was overjoyed to finally live the dream so many others could not. As she unfolded her wings and started to flap them, a grin as wide as you'll ever see was spread across her face. She thought this day would never come, but come it has. Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn everyone thought needed to get out more, could finally fly. "Ben, this is amazing!" Twilight exclaimed as she began to hover in the air, if only slightly. "Always glad to be of help." Ben replied, smiling. "Besides, I didn't even know if it would work, but it did. How does it feel?" "It's, well, as Rainbow Dash would put it, so awesome!" Twilight tried to replicate Rainbow Dash's face as she said it, but soon found herself faceplanted on the floor. She knew it would take some practice before she could fly effectively. Even if she had to practice, though, just knowing you have the ability to fly at all was the best feeling in the world. Twilight couldn't wish for a better day. "Well," Ben added, "I'll just head out & see what the other ponies are doing. Maybe say hi to Rainbow Dash." "But, Rainbow Dash is up at her cloud last time I checked," Twilight said. "How are you gonna get up there?" "Come on outside, I'll show ya." As Ben led Twilight outside, he readied a purple rotating cube in his hands. Once they were a sizable distance away from Twilight's house, Ben charged the spell in his hand, then casted it. Nothing seemed to visibly change until he took a step upwards, as if climbing stairs. Nothing out of the ordinary, Twilight thought, until he took another step. Normally, if somepony did that, they'd likely fall flat on their face. Ben didn't. He kept climbing up, hovering in midair. Twilight was in awe as Ben turned around and looked down at her. "So, how do you like my levitation spell? Pretty nifty, eh?" Ben asked to Twilight, her jaw gaping open. All of the recent goings on was too much for Twilight to handle. One moment, she suddenly has wings, and the next she watches as Ben walks on air as if it's nothing. It's too much to take in! Succumbing to the sheer astonishment of Ben's abilities, Twilight falls to the ground, out cold. "Erm, okay, I'll see you later!" Ben said to the unconscious Twilight. As Ben walked amongst the clouds, looking for Rainbow Dash's residence, he realized his levitation spell would wear off soon, so he recasted it, and continued to search. The hard part about searching for a cloud 'house' is that he didn't know what he was looking for. There were clouds everywhere. He wasn't even sure if he heard Twilight correctly when she said Rainbow Dash's home was a cloud. What reassured him that it was possible was the fact that he saw other pegasi standing on clouds as he walked in the sky. After a few more recasts, he found a cloud that looked an awful lot like a room. He saw holes in the cloud, and upon further inspection noticed an interior. He presumed the holes were windows, and took a peek inside. Sure enough, he saw furniture, as if it was a bedroom. He had never seen cloud furniture before. As he was basking in the moment, he noticed the sound of somepony humming, so he ducked and hid. After listening in, he found that it was indeed Rainbow Dash, most likely looking at herself in the mirror. He recasted his levitation spell, then casted an invisibility spell, then snuck in. He didn't know if the cloud wall was really a solid surface, so he just walked through it. As Rainbow Dash was stretching out her wings after a long day of practice, Ben stepped ever so closer. he was going to do the same thing he did to Twilight, and poke Dash in the flank. As he was almost in the right position, the blue pegasus trotted off in another direction. Ben followed, careful not to touch anything, and realized his invisibility would wear off soon. No matter, as he was ever so close. Now the time was right. He readied his finger, and gave Rainbow Dash a good, solid poke on the flank. Rainbow Dash let out a gasp and turned to find Ben giggling. "Oh, it's just you, Ben. What's up with you goin' around, poking me in the flank?" Rainbow Dash asked with a smirk. "Oh, I just figured I'd make an entrance. So what's up?" "Nothing much," Rainbow Dash replied before letting out a sigh. "I'm pretty beat from all the flyin' around I've been doing." "Ah, I see. If I was flying around all day, I'd probably be exhausted, too. No such luck, though." "Yeah... wait, if you don't have wings, how are you up here?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused. "You're right," Ben answered before falling through the cloud with a scream of terror. Rainbow Dash jumped in surprise, then went under the cloud, trying to find where Ben was. The look of fear was in her eyes as she thought of what could happen to Ben. The look of fear was suddenly replaced by confusion as she didn't see Ben falling. That was odd. Rainbow Dash could've sworn she saw Ben plummet through the cloud just seconds ago. She wondered what could've happened as Ben appeared behind her and poked her in the flank again. Rainbow Dash gasped again and turned around to find Ben giggling again, only this time he was floating in midair. "Wait, how are you floating in midair?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking puzzled again. "Levitation spell," Ben replied, still giggling, then floated up to Dash's cloud room. Dash followed soon behind, then let out another sigh of exhaustion. "Pretty tired, eh?" Ben asked her. "Yeah," Dash replied, stretching her wings again. Every muscle in her body was sore from all the practice she did today. She could barely stand. Ben noticed her state of soreness, and then got an idea. You see, Ben was practicing with one of the spells he had created to soothe his pain. It was a less potent paralysis spell that could be rubbed on the body, like ointment, to relieve the feeling in your body without losing all of it. It was like lying down on the softest bed you could ever imagine, then laying there for hours on end, not moving a single muscle. "Say, I think I have an idea that can remedy your soreness." Ben told Rainbow Dash, before recasting his levitation spell once again, then readying 2 green orbs in his hands. "What is it?" the blue pegasus asked before observing Ben's hands. "Are you gonna paralyze me again?" "Well, not exactly,” Ben replied, “But it will relieve the soreness and tension, all while giving you a nice, numb feeling. Trust me, it feels great." After he said that, Ben rubbed his hands together, as if he applied lotion. The orbs in his hands had soon spread out across his palms and fingers, as if he was wearing magical gloves. He then proceeded to rub Rainbow Dash's back, as if petting her. Dash winced at first contact but soon felt a surge of relief as the aching in her back started to disappear. Ben continued to rub the spell over Dash's body, and as he did so, she promptly laid down on her stomach to relax as the spell did its work. Ben gently unfolded Dash's wings one by one and rubbed them with the spell, and after he was done Dash never bothered to close them, letting them instead rest on the floor. The feeling was pure ecstasy. She had never felt so relaxed in her life. It's as if all the aching and tension in her body just disappeared, and instead a feeling of numbness and tranquility like no other surged within her. She didn't want it to stop. As Ben rubbed the spell on her hooves, she closed her eyes and let her tongue roll out of her mouth, slowly drifting to sleep. As Ben did his work, he soon discovered that he was getting rather close to Rainbow Dash's... mare parts. He decided to steer clear and instead give her flanks a good rub. It felt awkward, maybe even downright absurd, but hey, nobody was around to judge, so he didn't care. Besides, Rainbow Dash was too relaxed to care anyways. "Well, my work is done here," Ben said as he looked down at the now sleeping Rainbow Dash. Oh, how sleeping on a cloud makes anything look super cute. As he said that, his levitation spell wore off and he began to free fall through the air. He casted a slowfall spell, and as he was slowly drifting down to the ground he contemplated who he should visit next. Perhaps Applejack. He was in the mood for some apple-themed loot. Or maybe Rarity. Surely she is up to something interesting. Then there's always Fluttershy, and her innate shyness that nobody could refuse smiling at. As for Pinkie Pie, well, he didn't know. She seemed like a real curiosity, even at first sight. Ben knew it would be a pretty... interesting experience with that pink mare. Ben's feet soon touched the ground and he finally decided that Rarity would be his next stop for the day. But before he started on his way, he thought of something. That picture of Rainbow Dash, asleep and nearly paralyzed, reminded him of something. Something he couldn't quite remember. Something with the word "Psychology" in it. He shrugged it off and went on his way to Rarity's place... only to find out he didn't know where that was. After deducting what he could tell about Rarity, he decided that the ominous white & purple building that looked like someone had way too much time on their hands to build it was where she lived. He went up to the front door, and right as he threw his fist at the door to knock, he remembered the sneaky antics he used to surprise Twilight and Rainbow Dash before. With a wide grin, he snuck behind the building and searched for a back door. Once he found it, he grabbed the doorknob and opened it... only to find it it wouldn't open. Darn. Well, Ben had lockpicks, so he tried those out instead of giving up on the sneaking act. After a few broken picks, he was in. He casted Invisibility and crept though the boutique, which he recently discovered that that was what the building was. He peered into several rooms before finding that Rarity was in the main room, working on a new dress. He crept in, and very slowly snuck up to Rarity. Oh, the fun he was having doing this. As he approached, he noticed something about Rarity. He noticed her coat was awfully white, and how she looked a lot like a marshmallow, one of his favorite snacks. Ben also remembered how he'd seen that fact being referenced before, but couldn't recall where. Where were these memories coming from? he had never even knew they existed until today. Shrugging it all off, he crept right up behind Rarity and poked her in the flank. Rarity jumped in surprise and looked behind her to find Ben giggling. "Oh, hello Ben. So nice of you to stop by." Rarity said flatly. "What an... interesting way to make an entrance." "Just felt like having some fun." Ben responded, still smiling. "So what's up?" "Oh, just working on a new design I drew up. So far, it's coming out lovely, don't you think?" "Yeah, that does look pretty nice. I'd probably wear it... you know, if I were a... pony." Ben remarked sarcastically. "Very funny. Anyway, it's almost done." Rarity continued. "All it needs is a necklace to finish it off." Ben perked up. "Oh, I could help with that. I have quite a bit of skill in Smithing. Maybe I could make one for you." "Oh, that sounds lovely! But, I don't have any materials to lend you." "That's alright. I have some gold I can use." Ben replied. "You wouldn't happen to have any gems on hand, would you?" "No, sorry dear. But I was just about to go out gem hunting with Spike, but I'm sure he's busy with Twilight. Would you like to come, instead?" "Sure," Ben replied. "Let's go." Rarity went and grabbed her saddlebags, and as they walked out the door, Ben wondered, Who's Spike? //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4 "It's always nice to have a companion around when doing stuff like this," Ben said as his pickaxe struck the rock once again. "It gets lonely down in the dank, dark caves after a while." "Well, it is nice to have some company." Rarity responded with a smirk. "Especially if they're the one doing the digging." Ben looked over at Rarity with a look that said 'dafuq did you just say?' before shrugging it off and returning to swinging his pick as the rocks. After a while, he hit the gem deposit, and started to retrieve them. "Ooh, a Sapphire. How nice. And a Ruby, too. Not bad." Soon after Ben loaded the latest gem haul into Rarity's saddlebag, her horn lit up again and she walked off in another direction, with Ben close behind. After a minute or two of walking, Rarity stopped and pointed at a rather shiny vein of rock. "Here. The gems are in here." She announced to Ben, who nodded and proceeded to dig. "So, how did you acquire the ability to seek out gems with your horn? it's pretty impressive." Ben asked before slamming his pick into the vein at full speed. "Well, you could call it an 'in-born ability' if you want. I discovered it when I was a filly." "Sounds like you're quite the lucky, erm, mare, I guess." Ben then proceeded to pat Rarity on the head. She fixed her mane and motioned for him to continue digging. After a while of mining this one spot, Ben found deposits of gold ore as well as something shiny nestled in the rock. he mined the gold away and collected the dust in a satchel he had at his side. After digging out the rock around the shiny gem, Ben discovered it was a diamond. In awe, he retrieved the shiny stone and examined it. "My, what a beautiful diamond." Rarity commented as she looked at the gem in Ben's hand. "Flawless, too." He added. "This will make a fine piece of jewelry." Ben then nestled the diamond into Rarity's saddlebag and proceeded to continue digging, only to find there was nothing left. "I think it's time we headed back, darling." Rarity said. "It's getting late. Besides, these gems are quite heavy." Ben nodded in agreement and they set off for the boutique. The sun was almost entirely down when they got back. Rarity levitated a key from her satchel and opened the door, then flicked the light switch as they walked in. "Normally, I'd have any visitors and customers out by now, but you can stay if you'd like." Rarity told Ben as she laid her saddlebags against the wall. "Feel free to sleep on the couch." "Thanks. Say, you wouldn't happen to have a forge I could use, would you? I'd like to use some of those gems to make jewelry." "No, sorry." Rarity replied. "But I do recall Pinkie leaving an anvil somewhere around here. Something about anvil emergency. Hmm, where is it... ah, there it is." She proceeded to levitate the door to her storage room open. "It's right in there." Ben hauled the anvil out of the storage room and then positioned it in one corner of the room. He took a few gems from Rarity's saddlebags and some silver from his own satchel and stepped back over to the anvil. He also took a hammer from the storage room before he went to work. The steady noise of pounding was heard throughout the building for quite some time. Rarity found this rather annoying as she retrieved some tea she had saved from a visit to Fluttershy from the fridge. Rarity then sat on the couch and took the occasional sip of tea as she watched Ben work. After an extended amount of time, Ben held his creation up for all to see, whereas 'all' was just Rarity. "Ooh, how lovely." Rarity commented while clapping. "I think the Amethyst goes well with the silver in this amulet. Plus, it matches your coat & mane." Rarity blushed slightly before raising an eyebrow as Ben offered her the amulet. "Here, take it." He said. Rarity stared at it for a second before levitating it around her neck, blushing again. "Oh, why thank you Ben. it certainly does go with my coat & mane. How thoughtful of you." "My pleasure. Well, I'm pretty tired. I think I'm gonna go to sleep." Ben said before yawning. "Good idea. I think I'll head off to bed, too. Goodnight." Rarity then trotted off up the stairs. Ben turned off the lights and laid down on the couch. As he drifted off to sleep, he was thinking about how wonderful this new place was. He was skeptical at first, but after meeting such fine pe- er, mares, He knew he wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Ben awoke to find the sun shining through the window, casting silhouettes on the floor. He then took a deep breath through his nose, only to discover the smell of breakfast in the other room. Following the scent, he soon found himself in the kitchen, where Rarity was sitting at the table, eating breakfast. "Oh, good morning, dear. Come sit down. I made you breakfast." Ben nodded and proceeded to walk over to the table, sitting down and examining the plate before him. "I didn't know what you wanted, so I figured I'd make you some eggs with a side of toast. I hope that's alright." Rarity added. "Oh, it's quite alright." Ben replied with a smile. "I'm rather fond of eggs." As the two were eating, Rarity decided to have some small talk. "Thanks again for the amulet. It looks rather dashing." "My pleasure." Ben responded. "Besides, I have all the jewelry I'll ever need. I would just sell anything else I made. Speaking of which, that gives me an idea. Can I have the amulet back?" "But, why? You gave it to me just yesterday." "I'm not taking it permanently." Ben said as he bit into a slice of toast. "I just want to enchant it." "Enchant it?" Rarity asked, confused. "Why on earth would you want to enchant it? It's fine as it is." "Well, if I enchant it, the amulet can give you an additional benefit, and the possibilities are endless." "Endless, you say?" Rarity asked as she rubbed her chin with her hoof. "Well, I suppose it's worth a shot. Here." Rarity proceeded to levitate the amulet off her neck and into Ben's satchel pocket. The two finished up their breakfast and, after Ben volunteered to clean up, walked outside to get some fresh air. As they looked around, Rarity noticed Twilight approaching. But something was... different. As the lavender mare drew closer, Rarity could see what was off quite clearly. "T...Twilight? You have... wings? How on earth did you get those?" Rarity asked with a look of confusion and surprise. "Well, our friend Ben here gave them to me, and they're just great. Flying is so much fun, I can't begin to describe it." Rarity then turned around to find Ben smirking with his hands in his pockets. "You can do that?" Rarity asked, only this time her expression went from surprise to envy. "Yep." Ben answered, feeling quite good about himself. "Well, I think I'll be heading off to meet another one of your friends." As Ben strolled off, feeling all too good about himself, he could hear Rarity cooing over Twilight's new wings, and thought to himself, It won't be long before Rarity asks for wings, too. Contemplating who to visit next, Ben thought of what the remaining 3 ponies he didn't meet yet would be doing at this time of day. "Well, judging by all the apple trees I saw off in the distance, I can assume Applejack is busy doing stuff over there. That pink building that looks a lot like a bakery is probably what Pinkie Pie's doing. Hmm, well, I do like sweets. Screw it. Pinkie Pie, here I come!" Looking up at the sun, Ben deducted it was about noon. Boy, did he sleep in. No matter, he thought, as he strolled onwards to the bakery. As he drew closer, he could smell the telltale smell of delicious sweets. Pushing the door open, Ben was greeted by a variety of delectables stocking the shelves. "Oh, you must be Ben." Mrs. Cake said from the front desk. "Pinkie was talking about you. If you're looking for her, she's in the back." Ben nodded and headed into the back room, which turned out to be the kitchen. Pinkie looked up from the cupcakes she was making and gave Ben an instinctive smile. "Oh hey! I'm glad you came! So nice to see you! Hold on, I got you something." Pinkie then proceeded to take a mysterious item out from under the table. Said mysterious item was covered in a sheet. When the pink mare removed the sheet, the item turned out to be a gloriously crafted chocolate cake. "Do you like it? It's my signature 'Death by Chocolate' cake that I make for everyone I meet. Well, do you like it? Do ya? Do ya?" Pinkie asked while jumping in place. "It sure does look tasty. I suppose we should have some." Ben replied. Pinkie cheered before proceeding to hop over to another table in the corner of the room and reveal 2 sets of silverware. Ben took the cake from the table and brought it over to the over table where Pinkie Pie was waiting with a grin as wide as you'll ever see. After cutting himself a piece, Ben grabbed a gilded silver fork and jabbed it into the cake, bringing a piece into his mouth. His expression changed as he chewed to a rather surprised look. "Wow, this cake is pretty good." Ben exclaimed before taking a second bite. "Thanks. When your job description is making delicious goodies, you tend to get a lot of practice. Besides, I always put a lot of effort into my Death by Chocolate cakes" Pinkie then slammed her face into her slice, sending bits of cake everywhere. Ben couldn't resist to laugh as bits of chocolate landed on him. "Oh, Pinkie Pie. You are so random." Pinkie couldn't respond because she still had her face in her now ruined cake slice. After a few more slices of cake, and a rather interesting conversation involving the history of her 'Death by Chocolate' cake, Ben looked out the window to find that the sun was rather low in the sky. Had it been that long? Gee, Ben thought. Pinkie Pie sure is the talkative type. Ben got up from his seat and headed for the door. "Leaving so soon?" Pinkie asked with a rather glum face compared to her normally eccentric nature. "Yep. I'm gonna go get to know someone else before nightfall. Probably Fluttershy." "Ooh! Tell Fluttershy I said hi!" "I'll be sure to." Ben said as he walked out the door. As Ben walked through the streets of Ponyville on the way to Fluttershy's house, the location of which he got from Pinkie while she had her face in a slice of cake, one thing made Ben cringe as he walked. When Pinkie was talking about cupcakes, he had a rather disturbing visualization. Fore some odd reason he couldn't comprehend, he had visions of those cupcakes coming from... a rather disturbing location... almost as if somepony was killed in the making of those treats. For some even more odd reason, the first pony that came to mind was Rainbow Dash. Wow, that's pretty greusome Ben thought. What snapped him out of this weird thought was that fact that he was approaching Fluttershy's pad. Right before he knocked, he decided to try the stealth approach once again. Ben looked around for a back exit but couldn't find one. He then tried the windows, and was glad to see one was unlocked. Oh, how fun sneaking up on ponies and poking them in the flank was. After hopping through the window, he quickly casted his invisibility spell, hoping Fluttershy didn't see him. Luckily for him, she was in another room. Ben decided to wait in the corner, and soon enough, Fluttershy comes in the room, looking at the window and wondering why it's open. "I didn't open the window..." Fluttershy said to herself before trotting over to close it. Now was Ben's chance. He crept over behind the yellow pegasus and prepared his index finger, but as he got close, he noticed something different about her. Fluttershy's butt was larger than the others when viewed at the right angle for some reason. It could just be genetics, who knows. Maybe she's one of the attractive ones. For some absurd reason, the first word that came to mind was 'plot'. Snapping out of it, Ben proceeded to poke Fluttershy in the flank. "Eep!" Fluttershy gasped before turning to find Ben giggling. "Oh, umm... hello Ben. I assume you opened the window to get in?" "Yep. I take pride in my breaking & entering... erm... I mean just entering skills." Ben said with a guilty smile. "Well, umm... now that you're here, I suppose you can make yourself at home, if you want. I was just about to eat dinner. if you'd like to join me, that's ok, too." "No thanks. Pinkie Pie treated be to some, uhh, 'Death by Chocolate' cake. Still don't have all the chocolate off of my clothes yet." Fluttershy giggled, then walked into the kitchen. Ben followed close behind, then sat down at the table with the yellow pony. "So, what do you do around here?" Ben asked. "I take care of all the creatures around here. It's a very enjoyable aspect of my life." Fluttershy responded with a smile. Ben could've swore he heard something. Perhaps a squee. Who knows. "I've seen my fair share of critters roaming around Skyrim. So very majestic." "Sounds lovely." "it is... until a Spriggan possesses them and forces them to attack me, resulting in me having to fling a spear of ice into their skull, sending them flying off a mountain into a nearby river and over a waterfall down onto a bed of rocks." By the time Ben finished describing the greusome scene, Fluttershy's smile had all but vanished, leaving a gaping jaw in its place. "That's... not something you hear everyday." she remarked in a rather low tone. After Fluttershy finished her dinner and Ben finished describing his less than cheery experiences with bears, Ben noticed the sun had went down and it was now nighttime. "Oh, well, umm, I don't really have any place for you to sleep, but you can share my bed... if you want." "Sounds great." Ben answered as he set off to change into his nightwear. Emerging from the bathroom in a set of silk nightpants that would make Rarity squee in delight, Ben followed Fluttershy up to her bedroom. "This bed's pretty comfy." Ben commented as he climbed into Fluttershy's bed. "Well, this coming from a guy who's slept on a bed of hay in the middle of a dark, eerie cave." Not long after Ben closed his eyes and started to drift off to sleep, he was awoken by a sudden embrace of softness. He turned to find Fluttershy cuddling up to him. "Oh, you don't want me doing that? I'm sorry." Fluttershy said with a low tone. "It's just... your skin is rather smooth, and it feels like nothing I've ever felt before. But if you want your space, I understand." "Oh, no, it's quite alright. Actually, I feel flattered that you think I'm... smooth..." Fluttershy blushed. "Oh, okay then." She then snuggled up to Ben again, wrapping her forelegs around his body. Ben moved his left arm around Fluttershy's shoulders, and together they drifted off to sleep. Before Ben fell asleep, however, he looked up at the camera, smiled, and whispered: "You mad, Fluttershy fans?" //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 5 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 5 "You've met a terrible fate, haven't you?" Ben awoke with a scream, which in turn caused Fluttershy to awake in a dazed shock. "What's wrong, Ben?" She asked, half asleep. "Oh, erm, it's nothing." Ben responded. "Just a dream. W... What time is it?" Fluttershy looked out the window at the moon, judging its angle in the sky. "About three in the morning." Ben replied with a nod and laid back down, closing his eyes before feeling Fluttershy's warm, soft embrace once more. Unlike what he had told her, Ben knew exactly what the dream was. In fact, it was no dream. It was a nightmare. A terrible nightmare that plagued him night after night, no remorse. By now, he's been able to mostly ignore them, but this one was different. Instead of people like him, they were ponies. Six of them. The same six he had met only days before. They were standing before him, gazing into his eyes with cold stares. He reached out to touch them, but instead felt nothing. Nothing but the cold air of the void. Then, they started to weep, crying tears of blood. Then, their eyes turned to black sockets and Ben fell into an endless abyss, with the same low, flat voice saying the same sentence, once and only once, before he would awake with a scream. Luckily, we was able to rest easier knowing Fluttershy and the others were at his side... in the metaphorical and literal sense. Unluckily, he knew what these dreams were telling him to do. To add insult to injury, he didn't know if he could. Celestia's morning sun cast its glow through the window of Fluttershy's cottage as Ben opened his eyes to take in the view. Fluttershy opened her eyes as well, still cuddling up to Ben and smiling. "So, how'd you sleep?" She asked. "Fine... Just fine..." Ben replied, before removing his covers the climbing out of bed. Fluttershy did the same, and they both headed downstairs. Ben donned his robe and walked outside, and wandered off in one direction. Fluttershy followed him out the door. "Where are you going, Ben?" She asked. "I'm just, er... going for a stroll..." Ben responded with a flat tone. The yellow pegasus nodded before trotting back into her cottage and shutting the door. Ben continued down the path into Ponyville, all the while thinking to himself about various things. Not too long after he stepped onto the main road, a gray pegasus crashed into the wall of a house next to him. Confused, Ben looked to see if she was okay when suddenly she popped up in front of him with a letter in hoof. "I brought you a letter!" She said, smiling. Ben took it, still confused, and she flew off. "Well, that was... interesting." Ben looked down at the letter, studying the front to see who it was from. Apparently, it was from Canterlot, more specifically, from Canterlot Castle, and even more specifically, from Princess Luna. He tore the parchment open and unfolded the note, reading it. Dear Ben, I would like to begin by stating that it is an honor to have somepony, or rather someone, from another dimension visit us. I hope you enjoy Equestria during your stay. Now, onto the matter at hand. My sister, Celestia, informed me of your endeavor, and I would like to see you. Included in this envelope is one round-trip train ticket to Canterlot. I eagerly await your arrival. Sincerely, Princess Luna "Gee, I sure am popular." Ben said to himself. "Even royalty wants to spend time with me. It was never like that in Skyrim. All they did was tell me to stop lollygagging." Ben headed off on his way to the train station, and on his way passed Twilight's house. Glancing at it, he noticed Twilight and Rainbow Dash were flying around, chit-chatting. Feeling proud of his deed once again, he continued on. That is, until the two noticed him and flew down to see him. "Hey, Ben!" Twilight said with a smile. "Hello. I see your enjoying your wings?" Ben responded, smiling back. "Sure am. Rainbow Dash has been helping me use them effectively. Isn't that right?" "Sure is. By the way, Ben, it's pretty awesome that you can do that kind of stuff. Heck, it may be almost as awesome as me. Almost." Rainbow Dash's pride was bound to show itself sometime. "Yeah, I suppose it is..." Ben added, continuing on his way before Rainbow Dash stopped him. "Say, does that kind of stuff work the other way around? Like, you could give me a horn?" "Well, sure. Of course, you'd have to learn how to use it. But yeah, I could do it." "Well... would you mind doing that to me?" Ben thought about it for a moment, visualizing Rainbow Dash donning a horn on her forehead. "Sure, why not?" Rainbow Dash flew in a circle of excitement before landing in front of Ben. "Alrighty, do it." "Gladly." Ben rubbed his hands together before placing them over Dash's closed wings, and started to focus. Not too long after, her wings started to glow a light green, as did Ben's eyes. Ten seconds passed before the wings disappeared in light green sparkles. "Aye, this feels weird, being an earth pony now. Now I know what Applejack goes through every day." Rainbow Dash remarked. Twilight giggled, and soon after Ben made a fist, cupped his other hand around it, planted it on Dash's forehead, and concentrated once more. Once more, his eyes turned light green, and soon after, a light green figure appeared on her forehead. Ten seconds passed, and he released his hands, revealing a cyan horn nestled on Rainbow Dash's forehead. "Oh, wow! This is so awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed before making her trademark face. "I'm sure it is. Now, I have business to attend to. Why don't you and Twilight head inside so you can learn stuff, Rainbow?" Rainbow Dash nodded before heading off with the purple unicorn, erm, I mean pegasus, into the library, side-by-side, with Twilight's purple wing draped over Dash's back. If Ben didn't know better, he'd say that they're marefriends. The train ride to Canterlot was a lot more lonely now that the others weren't there. All he got instead were the stares from other ponies he didn't know. He also noticed the sun was setting. Had it really been that long? Or did he just sleep in at Fluttershy's cottage? Nonetheless, it was a long time. By the time Ben had arrived in Canterlot, the moon was up in the sky. The walk through the capital city was just as lonely as the train ride to it. All the high-class snobs made him sick. One of these days, Ben thought to himself, I'm going to come back here all sneaky and such, and steal some stuff. That'll show them. As Ben approached the doors to the castle, he was confronted by two navy blue pegasi donning guard armor. "You must be Ben." They calmly spoke. "Princess Luna has been expecting you. Come with us." Ben did as he was told, and walked through the long, wide halls, keeping pace with the pair of guards. Eventually, they stopped in front of a black door. "This is Princess Luna's room. She should be inside. Go on in." They stated, still using the calm tone that Ben found unsettling. The guard at the door, a unicorn, levitated a key from his satchel into the keyhole and turned it, unlocking the door. Ben turned the knob and opened the door before walking inside. As he walked in, he heard the door shut behind him, and saw Princess Luna standing before him. "A pleasure to meet you, Ben." She said, smiling. "Erm, yeah. Nice to meet you, too." Ben responded, still uneasy about the whole situation. "Come. Sit down." Luna offered before walking over to a pair of rather nice-looking chairs, and sitting on one. Ben followed her and sat in the second chair, slightly surprised by how comfy it was. "So, why'd you invite me here?" "Oh, I just figured I'd get to know you better, since I was sleeping during your first visit. Celestia told me about it later that day." "I suppose that makes sense. So what do ya want to know?" "Firstly," Luna said with an upbeat tone, "Celestia told me you have magical abilities. Would you mind showing me some? I'm quite intrigued by the fact that you have magical abilities." "Uhh, okay..." Ben replied, thinking of a spell. He decided that he'd use an Invisibility spell to start things off. He readied the dark blue cube in his hand, and casted it, disappearing in a blackish blue poof. "Impressive. Me and Tia could never master invisibility. We would only end up becoming partially invisible, or translucent, if you will." "You must be talking about a Chameleon spell." "Oh? What's that?" "Well, it's like Invisibility, only you aren't completely invisible. On the other hand, you can do stuff without that effect wearing off." "Ah, I see. Anything else?" "Certainly." Ben thought of another spell to use, this time deciding on a Command spell. Since he didn't know whether to use Command Creature or Command Humanoid, he decided to use the latter and hope for the best. He readied a yellow orb in his hand and casted it at Luna. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth as if fighting an internal struggle before opening her eyes to reveal slightly dilated irises and a calm expression. "Erm, Luna?" Ben asked. "Stand up, and walk over there." Ben pointed at a corner of the room. Complying, Luna sat up, and walked over to said corner. "Wow, I can't believe that worked." Ben remarked. After a little bit, Luna snapped out of it, shaking her head before returning to normal. "Wh... What happened?" "Oh, I casted a Command spell on you. Pretty neat, huh? "Yes, quite." Luna replied, holding her head with one hoof as she walked back to her seat. "Anything else you'd like to know?" "No, no. That's quite alright." Luna replied. "Secondly, I'd like to kn-" Luna stopped mid-sentence and began to stare at Ben with slightly dilated eyes once more, only this time it wasn't because of a spell. "Erm, you alright?" Ben asked, rubbing his chin. "You... You're a... a..." "A what?" Ben asked, still rubbing his chin. "A... vampire..." "No, Dashie, you have to concentrate!" Twilight was trying to teach Rainbow Dash how to teleport, and so far she was having no luck. "Aye, this magic stuff sure is hard. Harder than flying, that's for sure." the cyan pegasus, erm, unicorn, remarked. "Alright, try again." Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and started to focus once more. Her newly aquired horn started glowing with a sky blue hue, and after a while started to sparkle. Dash kept her concentration, her horn still glowing with magical energy. Then, after a few seconds, she disappeared from sight, and reappeared a few feet away. "Woo! I did it!" She shouted with joy. "Indeed you did, Rainbow. Indeed you did." Twilight added, smiling. "Now, try giving me a mustache." "My word, I can't believe it. After all these years, I finally catch glimpse of another vampire. Not only that, you're a... erm... human, was it? Yeah. Anyway, I haven't seen one of you in a thousand years." Ben was taken aback by the fact that vampires existed in Equestria, even if long ago. "Are they still around?" He asked. "No, I'm afraid not." Luna replied with a glum expression. "If you'd like, I can tell you the whole story." "Sure, why not?" Luna cleared her throat before beginning. "Okay. It was about a thousand or so years ago. Everything in the land was at peace. Then, one day, one of my worshipers - yes, I had worshipers back then, don't ask - came to me and asked for great power. I was reluctant to do so, mainly because I had no idea what to give. After contemplating the idea, I came up with a solution. I told him I would give him the power he desired, but at a price. He would have a mortal weakness to sunlight, and he would have to suck the blood of the living to keep it at bay. He agreed, ignorant of the long-term consequences, and I used my divine powers to turn him into a creature of the night - a vampire. He left, and I had a nagging feeling that it wouldn't end well. It didn't. After 5 years, he came back, saying that some of his victims became vampires as well. I had a feeling that it was a bad omen, but after I went into my 'nobody appreciates the night' phase, I found that vampires did indeed enjoy being out during the night, mainly because they were allergic to sunlight, so to speak. I relished the opportunity to have someone appreciate what I do." "But eventually, Tia heard of the stories of ponies breaking into other ponies' homes at night and biting their necks, and turned on me. She told me to fix it, or she'd fix it herself. Of course, I wasn't about to let her take away the only people who cared about my work, and I got into a debate with her about it that lasted quite some time. During that time, she sent word to the entire kingdom to be on the lookout for vampires. After a heated argument which lasted for days, Tia decided to take action. She stripped me of my control over the moon, and kept the sun in the sky for a whole year. She said it was to make sure none of them survived. Well, she was almost right. On the first night after I regained my power, I heard somepony climb in through the window. Turns out, he was a vampire. He had a savage look in his eyes, like he hadn't fed in a long time. Turns out, that was the case. He had hid in a cave during the "Year of the Sun" along with some of his fellow vampires, but they ended up going mad with hunger and ran out into the sun, only to be burned alive. He begged me to let him feed on me, but I refused. He lunged at me, unable to control himself, and ended to dying in a rather "unique" fashion - stabbed by my horn. He fell to the ground, bleeding all over the floor, begging me to help him. I wanted to, I really did, but I knew that if I did, Tia would most likely punish me again. It was dreadful watching him reach out to me for help, slowly bleeding to death on the floor. The guards took his corpse from my room, and I couldn't sleep at all the next day." Ben was taken aback by the story. "My, that sounds... really sad..." He remarked. "Yes... It is." Luna replied, lowering her head. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Luna raised her head up again. "By the way, how do you survive standing out in the sun?" "Well, I've gotten used to it over the years." Ben answered, shrugging. Luna nodded before pondering again. After a few more seconds, she perked up. "That reminds me. You haven't fed in quite some time. What are you going to do about it?" Ben rubbed his chin in thought. "I suppose I'll have to feed on one of you." "I suppose you'll have to. But be warned: My sister has most likely revived the anti-vampire propaganda since I've returned, so watch yourself. I hope you're good at stealth, because it'll be next to impossible to talk someone into letting you feed on them." Ben nodded, thinking of who'd be a good candidate for some bloodsucking. After a while of deducting, he decided that Twilight would be the best choice. "Well, thanks for the advice and the story. I think I'll be off." "But it's late. Why don't you stay here?" Luna asked with a puzzled face. "Sounds nice, but I think I'll try out my new Jump spell." "Jump spell?" "Yeah. It's totally fun. Watch." Ben walked over the window, opened it, and climbed onto the balcony. He readied a pink cube in his hand, and after he made sure Luna was watching, casted it. All seemed normal, until he jumped. When he did that, he flew away, leaving a surprised Luna behind. She shut the window after a moment of thought and turned around to see a scroll on her bed tied with red ribbon. Ben landed conveniently outside Twilight's house, and then contemplated on how to get in. Front door, or balcony? Balcony. Not wasting a moment of time, Ben started scaling Twilight's house. Questioning his sudden grasp of tree climbing, he reached the balcony and looked inside. Twilight was sleeping in her bed, with Rainbow Dash in the guest bed. Placing his hand on the knob, and readying an invisibility spell in his free hand, Ben tried the door. Luckily, Twilight didn't lock it. He crept in, now invisible, and approached Twilight. He took every step carefully, because if he woke either of them, he'd have to do some fast talking. Before he knew it, Ben was beside Twilight's bed. His invisibility spell wore off as Ben leaned over her head, ready to pounce. All of his efforts (what little there were) lead up to this moment. He opened his mouth, approached Twilight's neck, and sunk his fangs into it. Not long after he did that, Twilight slightly opened one eye, and looked down to see who it was. "Ben, what are you..." What followed was a blood-curdling scream heard all over town. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 6 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 6 There stood Ben, dazed after the loud scream, laying on the floor. Twilight laid in her bed, breathing heavily, and Dash fell out of her bed in surprise, and was now tangled up in the blankets. After a few moments, Ben stood up and surveyed the area, his ears ringing from the loud noise. Rainbow Dash squirmed out from under the blankets and said in a half-asleep, slurred voice: "What's the big idea screaming in the middle of the night? You trying to wake up the town?" Twilight looked up at Dash and responded with a loud tone: "Rainbow, Ben just tried to kill me!" Dash snapped out of her drowsiness right quick as those words entered her ears. She then turned to Ben with a concerned face. "Why would you do that?" She asked. Unable to speak, Ben could only studder in dismay. "I... I..." After a few moments, the sounds of a door opening was heard downstairs, and hoofsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. Before anyone knew it, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy came through the door. "What happened?" They all asked in near unison, except for Pinkie Pie. She asked with an excited face: "Are you guys having a party?" before hopping in place. She was soon stopped by Rarity with a firm backhoof to the face. "B... Ben tried to k... k... kill me in my sleep!" Twilight shouted, still breathing heavily. The other five ponies gasped in shock before turning on Ben with angry faces, slowly approaching. Ben started to back away in response, the look of fear in his eyes. "I knew we shouldn't 've trusted him. He's a monster!" Applejack said to the others. "Yeah, let's get him!" Rarity added. The group continued to close in on him... all except for Pinkie Pie. She just stood there with a surprised face a few seconds after the others started to approach. "BEN'S A VAMPIRE! RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES!" She finally shouted before running out of the room. The group gasped in shock, and Twilight perked up in the background. "A vampire..." the lavender pony said to herself. "Girls, wait!" Ben took this moment of confusion as an opportunity to escape. He turned around and jumped through the window at full speed. Thinking that jumping out of a second-story window was a good idea at the time, he instantly regretted it. He tumbled through the air before landing on the ground with a thump. Ben grunted as the force of the impact surged inside of him. His left leg absorbed some of the impact, but was broken in the process. His right arm was also riddled with glass. Ben moaned as he tried to get up with his working arm. Standing was rather painful, and the blood from his glass-riddled arm was dripping onto the floor. After a moment, he heard the door open, and then a voice. "Look over there, I'll check over here." Ben decided at that moment to book it. He searched for a place to flee, but found only the open expanse of the town. The lack of hiding places, coupled with his wounds and being outnumbered would surely lead to his demise. Hoofsteps grew louder, and the young mage started to look around again, only faster and in a panic. He had to move fast, and only one place would serve as a viable hiding spot - the Everfree Forest. Perfect, Ben thought. He limped off in that direction, blood dripping from his arm onto the floor. Ben looked down at the blood trail he was leaving and frowned. Damnit. They'll surely follow it. Well, I have no choice. Patching it up would take too long, he continued to think to himself. After a few mintues of limping and looking out for any followers, Ben reached the Everfree Forest. "Now, to find a place to lay low for... well... ever, I suppose." Ben said to himself in a hushed tone. The dark, eerie forest casted its gloom over him as he limped along, leaving a blood trail from his disabled arm. A shelter was his objective, preferably a cave. Twilight and her friends would most likely hunt him down the first chance they got, or worse, they would contact Celestia and she'd send the royal guard after him. Oh, how he knew how that felt, running from guards for touching a cup. If either of the scenarios played out, he would definitely be killed without much of a fight. After what seemed like hours of limping around, Ben found a cave that could be used as a shelter and went inside. "Alright, now to take care of my arm." Ben said to himself as he sat down on a rock. The cave he was in smelt damp and felt cold and eerie. Any moment, something could jump out and maul him to death, and he'd be unable to defend himself in his weakened condition. He had lost a considerable amount of blood as he escaped, and he was feeling woozy. Slowly, he began to pull the shards of glass out of his arm, moaning in pain as each piece came out. One by one, they fell to the floor and landed in a pool of blood. Ben was tempted to lick it up, hoping it would sate his need, but knew it was futile. He could not sustain himself on blood of the undead, let alone himself. As the final shard of glass fell to the floor, he held his good hand to his head to ease the disorientation caused by the major blood loss. Looking for a viable bandage, he found a large leaf growing from a tree outside, plucked it, wrapped it around his wounds, and tied it to his arm with some leather strips he had in his satchel. As he finished, a torrential downpour began outside. "Good. That will wash away the blood. Well, might as well go to sleep." Ben said to himself as he laid down on the floor to do just that. Before he closed his eyes, he reached into his satchel and pulled out the amulet he made for Rarity. he held in front of him and gazed at it for a few seconds. In those seconds, a tear fell from his eye and landed beside him... Twilight paced around the room, occasionally taking flight, searching for a book on Equestrian history. Dash and the others went out to hunt Ben down, so she had the house to herself. All of her books so far proved futile. None of the history texts provided information on vampires, and she owned some pretty dated history texts. It's like the whole situation was... erased from history. Several times Twilight started to nod off before jerking herself awake, occasionally finding a trace of drool on the side of her mouth. After hours of searching and nearly collapsing from exhaustion, the lavender pony discovered a book given to her by Luna that documents history right before she was banished to the moon. Skimming through pages, Twilight was shocked when she found the segment on how Luna created vampires and how Celestia abolished them in the "Year of the Sun." She looked up with a feeling of regret and woe, like she had just unknowingly killed someone, only not swift and painless. It was slow, drawn out, and agonizing. She felt even more awful knowing that she possibly did just that. "My word... What have I done?" Twilight asked herself, tears welling up in her eyes. "Ben was only trying to sustain himself, and I acted like he was was a killer. Now my friends are *sniff* hunting him down. He could be dead by now, and it's all my fault." Twilight ran up to her room and buried herself in her blanket, sobbing. ...Ben awoke with a snort as he suddenly heard voices off in the distance. He climbed to his feet, forgetting about his injured leg, and held back screams of agony as pain surged within his damaged appendage. He limped over to a nearby rock and hid, listening to the voices. "Maybe he went this way," he heard one say. "The blood trail led off in this direction before it started raining." "I doubt it. I don't think he'd be that stupid, dear. He could've went that way." He heard another say. "Do you two always disagree?" A third chimed in. The sound of the heavy rain suppressed the voices just enough so that he could hear them, but couldn't distinguish them. "Fine. We'll look over there." The first voice answered. Ben let out a sigh of relief as he heard the hoofsteps fade. He sat back down, leaning against the wall, and noticed the amulet on the floor. Using his remaining energy, he pulled the amulet over to him with telekinesis and set it in his satchel. The combined effort of trekking, blood loss, and being awakened by ponies looking for him left Ben exhausted. "If someone, er, somepony, planned on attacking me, now would be the time." he whispered to himself. He looked out at the rain, still coming down immensely, before closing his eyes, heavy with weariness, and drifted off to sleep. Morning came sooner than he had hoped. Ben stood up, careful not to disturb his leg this time, and limped over to the cave opening to look outside. The rain must've stopped a little before sunrise, as the ground and vegetation were still soaked, drips of water falling from the latter. The damp smell of the morning forest creeped into Ben's nose as he took in a breath of air. After a while of organizing his thoughts, he had a sudden realization - this damp cave would have to be his permanent home. Why would he return to town? They'd most likely kill him after what he did. Ben was no fool, but he still hated the idea of being "banished" to the forest for the rest of his days, which was technically forever since he was immortal. That was the perk of being a vampire, after all. He limped around the cave, eventually succumbing to the effects of cabin fever. Nothing to do, nothing to accomplish except to not die, and that was the easy part. Ben thought of what he could do. Read? Nah, he has already read all of the books in his collection. Write? Nope. Wasn't very good at that. About all he could do in his injured state was sit down and think. Before he did that, though, he grabbed a sharp rock and etched a tally mark on the wall. Days passed. Days of solitude. Days of loneliness. Days of fear. Days became weeks. The very thought that one day the ponies would find him kept Ben on edge. With nothing to do, he just kept limping around the cave in circles, occasionally sitting down for idle thought. Over time, he slowly began to lose it. being stuck in a bleak, damp cave for weeks with nobody to talk to will do that to you. He'd occasionally hear things that weren't there, or see things in the darkness. His ever-growing lust for blood didn't help things either. Eventually, going outside wasn't an option. Ben would just sit in a corner, periodically talking to himself, then pace around the room, think about various things, sit back down, sleep, and repeat. The tally marks on the wall grew in numbers, eventually becoming abstract drawings and cryptic messages that made no sense. The makeshift bandage over his arm was soaked in blood. Fortunately, being undead, he didn't need to worry about food, but by now those were the least of his troubles. It's a sad sight, seeing someone who's trapped by his own fears. One afternoon, while watching the cave entrance, Ben perked up when he saw a familiar purple shape land outside. it was Twilight. Ben grew worried at the sight of her, contemplating how she'd kill him. Sword? Spear? Axe? Console Commands? Who knows. As she approached, he noticed that she wasn't armed or had a threatening demeanor. "T...Twilight?" Ben asked, still nervous. "Hello, Ben." She responded, smiling. "H... How did you... find me here?" "I was spying on the others as they hunted you down every so often and when they passed by here I was suspicious of the cave, so the next day I flew out here." By now Ben had calmed down enough to stop studdering. "How long has it been since... you know...?" "Oh, about three weeks." The lavender pony responded, still smiling. Ben wiped his forehead before looking down at a puddle of water on the floor. His reflection showed the effects of weeks of isolation. "Well, now that that's sorted out... just make it quick, will ya?" Ben closed his eyes and prepared for his impending doom. "Erm... What are you talking about?" Twilight asked, quizzically. "You're... not here to kill me?" Ben asked, opening his eyes. "Of course not. I'm here because I know about your... condition... and how I'd like you to come back to Ponyville with me. Ben's expression changed to reflect his surprise. "What? I can't go back there. They'll kill me!" "No they won't. I sorted things out with everyone. You'll be just fine." Ben took a moment to think about the situation before reaching out, grabbing Twilight and pulling her into a hug. "Oh, thank you, Twilight! It's been so lonely in here, I can't wait to go back!" He exclaimed, tears running down his cheeks. Twilight returned the hug. "My pleasure." She said. "Oh, and one more thing." Ben set Twilight down and rubbed his eyes to dry the tears. "What is it?" Twilight leaned her head to one side, smiling. "Go ahead." Ben had trouble understanding what she was doing that for before realizing that it was so he could feed on her. "Ah... I see. Thanks." Ben moved in without hesitation and bit Twilight on the neck, sucking blood to nourish himself. After consuming a larger amount then he should've, he released his fangs and wiped his mouth. "Thanks, Twi. Now I feel much better." Twilight was feeling woozy after all the blood loss. "No problem... Aye, I need to sit down..." Ben pulled Twilight into another hug, laughing. "Luna, get in here right now!" //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 7 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 7 As Ben and Twilight walked - or, in Ben's case, limped - through the woods, Twilight couldn't help to notice Ben's untreated wounds. "How long have your injuries been like that?" She asked. Ben replied, "I never really took care of them. I guess there's no better time than now." After he said that, Ben slowly undid the leather strips on his arm leaf and removed the coverings to reveal and arm ravaged by infection. Dark red patches of dried blood, pus oozing from several cuts, and the fresh smell of a dead body emanating from his arm. "Eugh!" The two said in unison, taken aback by the severity of the untreated damage. "How are you going to take care of that?" The purple pegasus asked. "Easy. Just use a healing spell," Ben responded. Ben readied a warm tan colored orb in his hands, and rubbed it on his arm. Just like that, the wounds, blood and pus seemed to disappear. After a few rubs, his arm was as good as new. Ben then rubbed the same healing orb on his broken leg, and within seconds, he could stand on it no problem. Twilight was taken aback by his healing skill. "That's pretty impressive," she said, and the two kept walking back to Ponyville. After about 15 minutes, they reached town, and headed for Twilight's pad. Once they stepped in, Ben saw Twilight's five friends looking at him with guilty faces. "We're awful sorry he hunted you down like that," Applejack said. "If we had known about your... condition... then we'd have reacted much less violently." "Yeah," Rainbow Dash added, "Twilight told us about what she found out once we came back one night. After hearing all that, we felt awful. We hope you can forgive us." "Yes, please accept our apology, darling," Rarity chimed in. "Oh, it's quite alright." Ben responded, smiling. "Vampire hunters are a common menace back in Skyrim, but with my skills they don't stand a chance. If I had my composure with me and had not jumped out of that window I could've easily killed you all in no less than thirty seconds." Ben had a grin on his face. The six ponies' faces quickly became frowns, and Ben soon realized that ponies had horrible senses of humor. "I'm just fooling with ya!" He finally said. "You know I wouldn't of killed you. You're my friends!... right?" He was only met with grim looks. After about ten seconds of suspense, the six ponies all gathered around Ben for a group hug, laughing wholeheartedly. "Luna, what is the meaning of this?!" Luna stepped forward to view the note Celestia levitated before her. The note was in fact a letter, written to her by Twilight dated three weeks ago. The letter reads as follows: Dear Princess Luna, I have some disturbing news to report. After an incident involving Ben - a human from another dimension which you probably haven't met - I decided to search for an explanation. After hours of searching, I ended up finding a book that you gave me that explained everything. Turns out, Ben is a vampire, and vampires in Equestria have a rather sad tale. I was mortified to realize I could've very well killed the only human ever to come here. I am writing you to ask for any advice on the matter. Please reply soon. I've been spying on the others as they looked for him, but I don't know how long it will be until my friends claim Ben's life. I don't want to wait around and find out. Yours Truly, Twilight Sparkle "Tia, why were you going through my stuff?" Luna asked, angered by the fact that her older sister would do such a thing. "Your behavior has been worrying me, Lulu." Her sister explained. "These past three weeks you've been acting nervous, like you were the bringer of bad news and couldn't get over it. I was getting worried about you, so I snooped around in your room to see what I could see. After I saw this letter, I was appalled that you'd keep something like this from me. Do you know how serious this is?" "Tia, my affairs are my business. I don't need you killing another innocent soul." Luna responded. "Innocent? Vampires were a menace to society, and if I hadn't stopped them, they would've spread like wildfires." "I don't need you interfering in my jurisdiction. Vampires were creatures of the night, and since I am princess of the night, naturally they were my responsibility. If I needed your help, I would've asked." Celestia was furious. "I am your sister. You think that I was just going to let you wreak havoc on the kingdom just because nobody appreciated what you did? Nobody may have openly appreciated it, but your job was, is, and will be every bit as important as mine. Don't you forget that. Now, it's time I took care of this once and for all." Celestia's horn started glowing a bright white, and soon released a beam of energy aimed at Luna. Once it struck, Luna let out a scream of terror as her power was sapped from her. After the deed was done, Luna fell to the floor, weakened and powerless. Her older sister levitated the door open and promptly trotted out. "I have to warn Ben. Who knows what Celestia will do to him?" Luna said to herself before she levitated her window open and flew out into the night. Ben held up the sixth amulet, an emerald embedded in a gold necklace. "Not bad if I do say so myself." "It looks smashing, darling. Simply beautiful. You're quite the craftspony, I mean craftsman, heh." Rarity replied, sitting on the sofa. "Thanks for letting me crash at your place, by the way," Ben added. "My pleasure. It's the least I could do after that whole affair that took place over the last few weeks." Ben sat down to Rarity, and started abruptly staring at her flank for some odd reason. Ben couldn't quite comprehend his sudden attraction to Rarity, and thought about it for a moment while still staring. On one hand, she's a pony, and that's just gross. What man in their right mind would be attracted to a horse? On the other hand, he had no other choice. Besides, there was nobody else to judge him, so he decided it was alright. Rarity caught him staring and looked puzzled. "What are you staring at, dear?" She asked. Ben was startled at the sudden question and hid behind a guilty smile. Rarity looked to see what he was staring at, only to find her flank in the way, with it's pristine curves and whiteness. After a moment of confusion, she finally realized his true motive. "Ah... I see..." She said with a wink. Deciding to change the subject, Ben thought of the perfect nighttime activity - drinking. He was a frequent customer at the local inn, usually drinking himself into a stupor and having a good time. He wondered if ponies could drink alcohol. "Say, Rarity, do you frequent yourself a glass of wine every now and then?" "Well, I do enjoy the occasional glass of fine wine. Why do you ask?" She replied. His answer was to pull a bottle of wine from his satchel, filled to the brim with the red liquid and a cork on top. "I was thinking we could have some. You know, celebrate my return." Rarity put her hoof on her chin and pondered the idea for a moment. "Well, maybe just one glass..." The third empty green glass bottle fell to the floor as Ben and Rarity, now obviously drunk, laughed at each other about something that didn't make sense at all. "Boy, you sure do have a *hic* fine selection of wine..." Rarity said in a stupor. "Only the best for somepony as beautiful as you." He replied, using his index finger to tickle her flank. Rarity giggled in response and lightly punched his shoulder with her hoof. "Oh, you..." After a few more minutes of idle banter and another bottle of wine shared between the two, Ben looked over at the clock. "Look at the *hic* time. Better get to bed..." He stumbled to the bathroom and came out a few minutes later in his silk nightpants and plopped down on the sofa. "Oh, you don't have to sleep on the... the... um.... oh yeah, the couch. You don't have to sleep on it tonight. Come sleep with me..." She said, winking. Ben laughed, and the two walked tipsily upstairs into Rarity's bedchamber. As Ben walked behind Rarity, he noticed that she seemed to walk with a more amorous style, putting emphasis on wiggling her flank. Ben didn't complain. When they arrived, the two fell onto the bed and got under the covers. Not too long after, Ben started to drift off to an inebriated sleep. That is, until Rarity snuggled up to him. "So... Ever thought of how you're going to fulfill your... 'Natural Desire?'" She asked before hiccuping again. "I... *hic* I don't... I don't know... Wait, are you coming on to me?" He replied in a slurred voice. "Well, maybe I am and maybe I'm not. What do you think?" The white, intoxicated unicorn proceeded to nuzzle Ben's neck and stroke his arm with her hoof. Ben couldn't resist, especially in his drunken state. He turned around and stroked Rarity's mane while sporting a seductive look that met hers. Not too long after, she pulled him in for a kiss. Ben was surprised at first, even in his inebriated state, but went along with it. Turns out, Rarity was quite the kisser and went full on tongue, exchanging saliva and stroking his fangs with her tongue. After the rather long kiss, she backed away, a string of saliva connecting the two. She smiled at Ben seductively and said, "Your fangs are lovely, dear. I've read novels about vampire ponies having romantic relationships with regular ponies, but I never realized it would be this... um... Oh, forget it. Come over here, you sexy beast." Ben did as he was told and pulled Rarity in for another kiss. It soon turned into full on making out. Ben pulled Rarity on top of him and they both continued making out. Ben slowly moved one hand down her back and eventually reached her flank, giving it a good scratch. Rarity jerked her hind leg in response, and after some making out, they stopped to rest. "My word, Ben. I never knew you were *hic* so good in bed." Rarity said in a slurred voice before nuzzling Ben's neck once more. "I take pride in my work, heh heh." He replied, stroking her mane. Ben moved in close and gently slid his fangs down Rarity's neck, and she purred in response. "Oh, Ben, you're quite the pleaser. Do you treat all your women like this? *hic* Because... Because you sure know how to treat a... *hic* a... um... oh yeah, you know how to treat a mare, heh heh." Rarity murmured into Ben's ear as he stroked her neck with his fangs. After a moment of that, he drew back and they looked into each others eyes, both of them plastered. They were about to begin another makeout session when Luna abruptly walked in the door. Ben and Rarity were taken by surprise, and Luna felt embarrassed to have walked in on such an... awkward situation. "My apologies." Luna said. Her red, blushing cheeks could easily be seen in contrast to her dark blue coat. "Meh, it's alright," Ben answered, propping himself up on one shoulder with Rarity still laying on him. "I probably won't remember any of this come morning. So what's up?" Luna cleared her throat before speaking again. "I came to warn you about my sister. She knows your a vampire and now she's out to exterminate you." Even in his intoxicated state, Ben reacted in shock at the word 'exterminate.' "Now why would she want to do that? I'm not doing any harm to nobody." He replied. "I don't know. apparently she was still distraught at what I had done so long ago, and this whole fiasco just rekindled old flames." Ben and Rarity alike had glum expressions. They looked at each other before looking back at Luna. Ben said, "Well, I doubt she'd come after me tonight. I mean, if she was smart, she'd wait until daytime, when vampires are weak. So for now, I'd say we have nothing to worry about. Also, how did you know I was up here?" "Well, you have the window open and I could hear you two from outside." Luna shrugged. "Well, whatever. You two enjoy your... romance. I'm not very powerful with my divine magic sapped, but if you need any advice or help, come see me whenever you want." With that, she trotted out the door and magically shut it. After about ten seconds of awkward silence, the two hammered lovebirds turned back to each other and continued making out. Through it all, Ben thought, Who would've guessed that after three weeks of being hunted down by these ponies I'd be in bed with one? I must be one lucky guy. Gosh, Rarity sure is soft. A good kisser, too. While I admit getting to this point was a lot harder than putting on some dumb necklace and asking random people for marriage, it was worth it. Man, I can't get over how soft Rarity is. It's like she's a finely crafted pillow. A finely crafted pillow that kisses back... My God, am I really that lonely? After a half hour of making out, the two drifted off to sleep in each others arms, Rarity still laying on top of Ben. The morning light cast its gaze in through the open window, and the chilly morning wind soon followed. Ben slowly opened his eyes and began to look around, only to realize Rarity was still laying on top of him. He carefully proceeded to scan the room, and then looked down at Rarity. She was still sleeping, her head laying on his chest, drool coming from her mouth. She also tended to snore. Who knew that Ponyville's most pristine pony was such a deep sleeper? Maybe it was the alcohol. Thinking of said alcohol kindled a daze in his vision, as if on command he triggered a concussion. After his eyesight cleared, he looked at how he slept. One hand was around Rarity's back, and one on her flank. Rarity's left foreleg was at his side, and her right was next to his cheek. Ben looked out the window, but turned back as he heard the sound of Rarity awakening. She lifted one hoof to her head and looked around in a daze caused by both the hangover and the fact that she just woke up. She wiped the drool from her mouth and propped herself up on her free hoof, looking around the room. "Morning, sleepyhead." She heard Ben say. Rarity gasped and looked down to find Ben looking back up at her, smiling. "Oh, erm, hello Ben. A good morning to you, too." Rarity put a hoof on her head once more. "Agh, how much did we drink last night?" "Oh, about four bottles." Ben responded, stroking her mane. "My, that much? I usually only drink that much when I'm about to have... romantic... relations..." Her speech slowed to a stop as she realized why she had gotten so drunk last night. "Now you're getting it." Ben commented. He scratched Rarity's flank, and she smiled in response. Rarity admitted, "I suppose it was worth it." She looked out the window. "Heck, it's still early in the morning. Why not go at it again?" Ben nodded in agreement and they did just that. After fifteen minutes of making out, they got out of bed and prepared for the day. Ben donned his robe, Rarity her... nothing... and they walked outside. "Rarity, you know why I made those amulets, right?" Ben abruptly said. "No, I don't seem to recall." She answered. "Well, I made them for the six of you as a token of my thanks for letting me back into society. Without all of you, I would've probably went mad in that cave." Rarity blushed. "Well, you're quite welcome. You still have mine, right?" "Of course." Ben reached into his satchel and pulled out the silver amethyst amulet he crafted for Rarity and handed it to her. The purple gem glistened in the sterling silver contrast, but unlike the last time she had saw it, the amulet now glistened with a blue magical aura. "Darling, why is it glowing?" The white unicorn asked. "You remember last night after I finished the first glass of wine and I went to the bathroom? Well, I really went in there to enchant all of the amulets. I enchanted yours with a constant effect fortify armorer fifty points enchantment so you can make your creations even more beautiful." "My word. Thank you, Ben. I'll treasure it always." As Rarity levitated the amulet on her neck, Ben looked off in the distance. "Now, go get the others. I'd like them all to be here." Rarity nodded and trotted off to get the others. Ben leaned up against the boutique's wall and waited. After some time, Rarity returned with the others. "Now what the hay are you gettin' us all over here for? Oh, hey Ben. Anyway, what gives?" Applejack asked, rubbing her eye with a hoof. "Well, I made gifts for all of you as thanks for taking me back into your lives. Now, these aren't just any gifts. They're... wait for it... enchanted!" "Enchanted? Sounds lame." Rainbow Dash said with a snarky tone. "Lame, hmm?" Well, try this on for size. I enchanted this one I made for you with a constant effect fortify fatigue two hundred points on self, which means you can do more... flying stuff... before you get tired." "You don't day? Hand it over, will ya." Ben did as he was told and put the amulet, a lovely silver amulet with a sapphire on it, around her neck. Instantly she began to feel more energized. "Wow, this feels pretty sweet. I really do feel like I could train longer with this on... once I get my wings back, that is. Plus, it looks pretty cool. Thanks." Ben passed the rest around. Applejack's amulet, a gold necklace with a ruby on it, was enchanted with a constant effect fortify unarmed fifty points so she could buck apples more efficiently. Twilight got a gold necklace with an amethyst on it, and it was enchanted with a constant effect fortify magicka one hundred points on self. Fluttershy's amulet, a gold necklace with an emerald on it, was enchanted with a constant effect fortify alchemy fifty points so she could put all the vegetation around her to good use. Pinkie Pie's amulet, a sapphire embedded in a gold necklace, was enchanted with a constant effect fortify luck one hundred points on self. Who knew what antics that crazy pink pony would be up to with such power? "This is awful nice of you, Ben. Thanks." Applejack said, smiling. "My pleasure... Uh oh." Ben looked up in the sky with a worried expression. The others looked up to see what had him so riled up, and saw Princess Celestia fast approaching. They all knelt in respect, except for Ben. He was far too worried about his impending doom. The princess of the sun landed with a thud, a serious expression in her face. "Rise, my subjects." She said. The others did as they were told, and she turned her face to meet Ben's. "You know why I'm here, don't you? You thought you could hide your true identity, keep it a secret from all of us. You thought you would make it without a hitch, didn't you, vampire? Well, I know you for what you are now, and I'm here to end you, you monster." The mane six reacted with shock at the princess and her sudden aggressive tone. "Princess, why would you say such things?" Twilight asked. "Ben's no monster. He's been such a dear friend to us." Celestia turned to the lavender mare. "I'm sure his guise fooled you all into thinking he had good intentions, but I know his kind. My sister created them a thousand years ago and they ravaged this land. I stopped them back then, and I'll stop him now." She turned back to face Ben. "As for you, your time has come. I bid you farewell, you monster." Ben turned to look at the mane six, who gave astonished faces right back at him. He knew he had to do something fast, but what? How could he defeat a goddess? It was the hour of reckoning, the time of judgement, the decisive moment. What happened here would change all of Equestria forever... The Choice is Yours Celestia Kills Ben (https://www.fimfiction.net/chapter/189101) Ben Escapes (https://www.fimfiction.net/chapter/189449) Ben Kills Celestia (https://www.fimfiction.net/chapter/190279) //-------------------------------------------------------// Ending #1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Ending #1 Without hesitation, Celestia's horn started to glow an immense white. Before long, an oddly shaped magical figure appeared in front of her. She continued to focus, continuing to conjure the magical item. After some suspense, the figure was revealed to be an ordinary oak stake. The mane six breathed a sigh of relief. Ben, on the other hand, was scared out of his mind. With a serious look, the princess sent the oak stake flying towards him. The stake pierced him square in the chest and flung him backwards onto the ground. The mane six gasped in shock and ran over to see if Ben was alright. Celestia continued to stare down at him. Ben clutched at the exposed part of the stake as blood started to spurt out of his wound. "Ben! Are you alright?" Twilight asked as she got near. "Agh, no... No, I'm not... you may not know this, but vampires are easily defeated by an oak stake to the heart. I don't have long." "There's gotta be some way we can help ya, sugarcube." Applejack said. "Ah, she got me good. pierced my... *cough*... my ribs. Didn't pierce my heart or I'd would've... well... would've died on the spot. But I don't have much time. I'm fading fast..." He coughed again, sending blood up at Rainbow Dash's face. Blood continued to ooze out of Ben's chest as he became weaker from the wound. Not much time passed before he could barely keep his eyes open. "I... I want you guys... to know... *cough cough* that you guys were... were... were my best friends..." Tears ran down the sides of Ben's face as he looked up at the six ponies' faces. They also started to weep, their tears ran down their cheeks and fell onto Ben's dying body. His vision began to blur, his eyes began to close slowly. "Come... closer..." He croaked. The ponies leaned in closer, awaiting Ben's last words. As blood gushed out of his chest wound, he clutched the stake in vain. "I... just wanted... to tell you... that I'll... I'll..." The mane six continued to weep, tears rolling down their cheeks at full force. Ben's breathing slowed, blood continued to flow, and the end was near. "I'll... never... forget you..." Ben's eyes closed, and he fell limp. And so, the story of Ben, the human in Equestria, the Visitor from Beyond, came to a close. The vast kingdom of Equestria was forever changed. The Mane Six, devastated by the loss of their friend, buried him outside Twilight's house. They visited his grave once a year on the anniversary of his arrival into their land, never forgetting him. Time didn't seem to heal the scars left by Celestia's actions, and the six ponies never returned to their original selves again. As the years passed, life became more and more meaningless. Eventually, the Elements of Harmony decided to end it all. Princess Celestia, unaffected by the loss of the first and only human visitor, continued to rule Equestria with a fist of pillows. But something itched in the back of her mind, something she couldn't just shake. She never did end up shaking it. The death of the Elements of Harmony barely phased her. When Princess Luna received news that Ben was slain, she was devastated. Years later, after news rang out that the Elements of Harmony were gone too, she decided to take action. She slowly rallied a portion of the kingdom and seceded from Equestria, forming the Pony's Lunar Republic. The PLR allied with the Zebra and Griffin nations and led an assault on what remained of the Solar Empire. Celestia's forces fought valiantly, but they couldn't hold off the three allied nations' combined strength. The three nations divided the annexed land and agreed to make Twilight's house - the Elements of Harmony and Ben's graves included - a memorial. Celestia was banished to the sun for a thousand years. ...And so Ben, the human who cheated death when he came to the world of Equestria, failed to cheat death once again. He now lays in his grave in front of the Solar War Memorial. His short time here proved to the Elements of Harmony, and everyone, that magic - and friendship - had no boundaries. Some say that Ben will rise again and lead the PLR to greatness, but that would be nothing short of a miracle... ...and everyone knows that a miracle is something that doesn't exist. The End "Good. He's gone. Now the hunt can begin..." //-------------------------------------------------------// Ending #2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Ending #2 Without hesitation, Ben reached into his pack and unveiled a scroll. The scroll was white with a gold trim on the edges, and it was rather large. "What's that? Your pathetic attempt at salvation?" Celestia asked. "Nope. It's... wait for it... an Elder Scroll!" Ben replied with a smile. Awkward silence fell upon the group for several seconds. "Uh... what's that?" Twilight asked, confused. Ben's smile quickly lowered into an embarrassed frown. "You... don't know what an Elder Scroll is?" Everypony shook their head back and forth. Ben facepalmed, and then said, "Well, the important thing is, it's a scroll of unmatched power. Found it on my adventures. Apparently, this guy everyone calls the 'Dragonborn' was looking for it, too. I guess I found it first, heh heh... Okay! Enough talk! Time for action!" Ben quickly held the scroll in front of him, aimed at Celestia, and grabbed onto the roll of paper with his free hand. He unrolled it and began reading it's texts. As he did so, a blue aura started to swirl around him. "Obsecro maiorem vim esse planum Eripe me volumine et deleat atque opere interficiam omnes testimonio ipsa mundi. Quod ut disperdam materialibus formam senior librum misi et quod hic dominus petentibus novae. Mine, potentiam libri et ut eis mandatum fuerat!" With those words, the blue aura grew to tremendous power, and Ben was surrounded by it. Not long after, the blue aura disappeared, Ben with it. And so, the story of Ben, the human in Equestria, the Visitor from Beyond, came to a close. The vast kingdom of Equestria was forever changed. The Mane Six, saddened by the disappearance of their human friend, continued about their lives. All the changes Ben had made - Twilight's wings, Rainbow Dash's horn, and all of their amulets - disappeared. As they continued on living, however, they would never forget the impact that Ben had on their lives. Princess Celestia, angered by Ben's escape, brought changes to Equestria that weren't all for the better. A curfew had been enacted, martial law had been declared, and the draft was reinstated as the Princess of the Sun made sure that the vampire threat was truly gone. During this time, riots sprang up all over the land, and civil unrest led to many innocent ponies dying at the hands of the Solar Army. After several months, just as quickly as they had been enacted, the new laws had been revoked once the all clear came from Celestia's top field commanders that the threat of vampires was gone. Although peace returned to the land, many lost respect for the princess. Princess Luna was saddened by Ben's departure but knew that if he hadn't left when he did he would've surely perished. Her sister's harsh sweep of the land in search of vampires only reassured her that Ben's departure was just. She went on with her life, wondering if Ben would ever return. ...And so Ben, the human who cheated death when he came to the world of Equestria, cheated death once again. His departure saddened some, and barely phased others. Still others wondered if Ben would ever come back to their fair land... under more peaceful conditions. But the human known as Ben's road had ended... for now. The End "Wow! That story was great, dad! Thanks for reading it to me." "Not a problem, son." The dad replied, rustling his hand through the young boy's hair as he lay in bed. "Now wait here. I have something for you." The dad left the room and came back a few seconds later with a plush toy shaped like Twilight Sparkle. The boy had a wide grin on his face as he was shown the item. "Oh, wow! That looks so cool! Where'd you get it?" He asked. "Well," his dad replied, "I gave the book a read while you were out with your mother and I thought I'd try my hands at making one. I hope you like it." The boy grabbed the Twilight plushie and hugged it. "This is great, dad! You're the best!" "You're welcome, son. Now get some sleep." The boy covered himself up with his blankets and closed his eyes, snuggling his newly acquired Twilight plushie. The dad walked out the door and closed it gently. After he did that, he walked down the hall to his office. Stepping into his room, he pulled out his desk chair and turned it to face the wall, then sat down on it. He glared at the contents of the shelf in front of him. Plush forms of the Mane Six, Celestia and Luna stared back at him with their sewed on eyes and sutured smiles. Tears welled up in his eyes, and after a few seconds he started crying. //-------------------------------------------------------// Bonus #1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Bonus #1 The First Bonus Chapter Timeframe: Night of the Third Ending Warning! Sexual Content Ahead! Ben looked out the window at the city of Canterlot, now alive with celebration due to a new ruler being crowned. The lights, the festivities, the street fights. 'Twas a grand sight. Ben sighed, smiling. Luna walked over to the window and gazed out at the city as well, taking in the view. "So," she finally asked, "How are you enjoying leadership?" Ben looked over and replied, "It's pretty sweet. I plan on making some changes, though. Big ones. I had a look at the financial records and it's appalling how far in debt the government is." "Well, when you're an all-imposing goddess of the sun with nopony to match your strength, I doubt somepony is going to collect any time soon." Ben rubbed his chin. "You have a point. Anyway, I also plan on--" His speech was interrupted as Luna put a hoof over his mouth. "Enough about politics. It's not everyday that a goddess is overthrown and a new leader is crowned. This is a time for celebration! Now, what say you and I start... celebrating?" As she said that, she gave Ben a wink. Ben nodded in agreement. "Fine by me." He retired to the bathroom and came out a few minutes later in his silk nightpants. He then proceeded to the bed and laid down. Luna took flight and hovered over him. "It's nice that I can finally do something like this." She stated. "Being banished to the moon for a thousand years left me pretty sexually deprived." "I can see that happening." Ben responded, rubbing his chin. "Now, let's get started." Luna nodded and folded up her wings. She fell to the bed and landed on top of Ben, knocking the wind out of him. "Oh, ballocks, you're heavy." Ben said, catching his breath. Luna blushed. "Sorry. When you have royal duties to attend to every day of the week, you don't really have a lot of time to stay in shape." "No worries," said Ben. "Look on the bright side - you feel all plush and stuff." To prove his point, he reached over and grabbed Luna in the flank. It was remarkably soft. Luna giggled. "Well, I suppose you're right." She poked herself in the side. "You're right, I do feel plush. I guess my lack of fitness worked out after all." "See? Now everyone's happy. Now, let's get down to business." "Gladly." Ben used telekinesis to turn off the lights and Luna dove in for a kiss. Like Rarity, Luna went full on tongue, and Ben didn't mind. The first kiss lasted a few moments, and after a quick breather, they went at it again. Occasionally Ben would reach over and give Luna's flank a good scratch, and she'd jerk her hind leg in response. After a little bit, they stopped for a breather. Luna said, still catching her breath, "After a thousand years of isolation, this feels so good." "Yeah," Ben replied, "It feels pretty sweet to be in bed, making out with the princess of the night. In fact, it's pretty sweet to be making out with a pony at all." They went back at it, and after a while stopped for another breather. The two nuzzled each other for a bit, and then Luna said, "Ben, how would you like to do something nopony else has ever done?" Ben looked puzzled. "Sure. What did you have in mind?" Luna took a deep breath. "How would you like to suck divine blood?" Ben was taken aback by what Luna said. He then took a moment to process the offer. At last he came to a decision. "Sure. Sounds great." Without hesitation, Ben leaned in, sank his fangs into Luna's neck, and began to suck her blood. After a little bit, he removed his fangs, smiling. "Wow, that was great. This may sound awkward, but you taste marvelous." Luna giggled again "I'm glad you liked it. Now, let's get back to it." Ben nodded, and the proceeded to make out again. They exchanged saliva and tongues, and Luna could taste a bit of blood from Ben's mouth. She didn't mind. She proceeded to unfold one of her wings and tickle Ben in the side with it. Ben opened one eye in response, but closed it soon after. Fifteen minutes passed before they stopped for another breather. "Ben," Luna said, "I say we take this to the next level. What do you say?" Ben thought to himself for a moment. "You mean sex, right?" "Totally." "Then let's do it." Luna used her magic to pull the covers over them, and Ben slowly removed his garments. He then put two fingers on Luna's chest and slowly traced down to her marehood, circling it once he got there. Luna smiled in response. "Oh, you tease." "It's how I roll." he responded, smiling back. After a while of circling her vag with his fingers, he slid them in, searching for her G-Spot. Luna let out a low moan when he did that. Eventually, Ben found a small nub and rubbed it softly. Luna's twitch assured him that he found it. He removed his fingers and positioned his dong for a good thrust. Once he had it in the right spot, he thrusted it into her cunt with full force. Luna let out another low moan, smiling. Ben kept the pace, repeatedly thrusting in and out and occasionally rubbing against Luna's G-Spot. After a little while, Ben began to approach the climax. It wouldn't of taken as long if he was on top, but he didn't mind. "Luna. Prepare yourself." He said. "Give me all you've got." She responded, smiling and looking into his eyes. Ben nodded and picked up the pace. He gave a few hard thrusts and Luna's moans grew louder. Then, at the peak of it all, Ben gave one long, hard thrust, spurting semen into Luna's marehood. Luna's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she let out a loud scream of pleasure, then sighed. Both Ben and Luna were breathing heavily and felt pretty good. "Wow... that was... that was great..." Luna said between breaths. "I haven't felt that good... in a long time." "Glad I could help." Ben responded. "I would've never guessed... that having sex with a pony... would feel this great..." They spent some time nuzzling and occasionally kissing, then decided to go to sleep. Luna, still laying on top of Ben, laid her head on his chest, and he wrapped an arm around her. They both fell asleep, their reproductive organs still connecting the two. The lights from the city celebration shone in through the window. Ben and Luna couldn't have wished for a better day. //-------------------------------------------------------// Bonus # 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Bonus # 2 The Second Bonus Chapter Timeframe: Morning After The 3rd Ending Warning! More Sexual Content Ahead! Ben opened his eyes slowly and scanned them across the room. Luna's bedroom was draped in the early morning sunlight, and a brisk wind came in from the open window. Everything was neat and organized - not a single thing seemed out of place. He then looked down to find Luna laying on him, soundly asleep. Like Rarity, she was drooling on his chest and tended to snore, but Ben didn't mind. His stick was still stuck inside Luna's cooch, kept nice and warm. His arms were wrapped around the princess, holding her in an embrace of sorts. He smiled and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep again. Ben was awoken by Luna's sudden movement. She raised her head and glared at Ben with a smile. "Good morning," she said. "How was your night?" "Just fine," he replied. He then slowly glided his hands down Luna's back until they reached her flank. "How was yours?" Luna blushed. "Wouldn't ask for anything else. It was really lonely around the castle until you happened by." "Not something I'd expect," Ben said. "I would've thought every stallion that isn't brain-dead would want to bump uglies with a princess. Especially someone as good as you." With that, he gave Luna's flank a good scratch, smiling at her. Luna giggled and used one of her wings to tickle Ben's side. "You're too kind." she remarked with a smile. "Anyway, Tia had a strict policy that intimate relationships would distract us from our duties." Now it was Ben's turn to giggle. "Really, now? Well, that's just rubbish. Sex is good for the body, mind, and soul. Being sexually active is just what someone in your kind of position would need." "I agree," Luna said. "Especially after last night. Never felt better." The two decided to nuzzle for a while, occasionally kissing. Ben got an idea after a little bit. He repositioned his shaft so that it was rubbing against Luna's G-Spot. Luna shivered in response, looking down at her still occupied vagina, then back up at Ben, smiling. "Oh, you..." was all she could get out before he did it again. The dark blue alicorn slumped down onto Ben's chest again, looking at him with a grin before propping herself up on a hoof. She unfolded both of her wings and tickled Ben in his sides once again, only this time more intense. Ben laughed uncontrollably as a result, unable to resist Luna's tickling. After about thirty seconds of it, Luna stopped to let Ben get some air. Ben caught his breath and let out a sigh. "That was pretty nice," Ben said between breaths. "Happy to oblige," Luna responded, letting her wings fall limp instead of folding them. Ben removed his hands from Luna's flank and reached over to grab one of her wings, examining it. The wing was very soft, with dark blue feathers evenly planted on it. Luna looked at it, flexing and bending it every which way to let Ben further analyze it. "Man, it must be great to have wings, eh?" Ben asked. "Fly around where ever you want, anytime you want?" "Yeah, it is rather enjoyable." Luna responded with a grin before using the tip of her wing to tickle Ben's face. Ben released the wing and Luna folded it up along with the other one. "So," he asked, "what should we do now?" Luna pondered for a moment before coming up with a grand idea. "Hey! Want to see something totally awesome?" she asked with an excited expression that creeped Ben out a little. "Uhh, sure..." Ben reluctantly responded. With that, Luna began to focus. Navy blue colored magical energy flowed throughout her horn, and before long the two teleported with a navy blue poof. The two arrived in an unknown (at least to Ben) location, barren and gray. Ben looked around and saw nothing but gray dust and the occasional crater. He then looked up and saw Earth in the sky. With a sudden realization, it occurred to him that he and Luna were on the moon. Ben tried to speak, but he found himself at a loss for words (and air) and started to suffer from asphyxiation. He grasped his throat and gasped for air, only to breathe in nothing. He reached up, grabbed Luna's horn, pulled her closer to him, and tried to say something. "Take... us... back..." was all he could mutter before continuing to suffocate. With haste, Luna focused, and magic flowed through her horn again. They teleported back to Luna's bed on Earth and Ben gasped for air, barely able to speak. Luna felt embarrassed that she nearly killed him. "Heh heh... sorry about that." Luna said with a guilty smile. Ben regained his composure before long and looked back up at her. "It's alright," he said. "I couldn't stay mad at you. Now get over here." Luna did as he asked and they kissed for quite a while. In the middle of it, however, they heard a noise at the door. They looked at the door just in time to see Twilight Sparkle walking in, a smile on her face. Her expression turned to surprise and then embarrassment when she saw Ben and Luna in bed together, connected at the waist. Ben swiftly pulled the blanket over their midsections and looked at Twilight with a smile. "Oh, hey. How's it goin'?" Twilight was at a loss for words. She shook her head and said, "Uhh... I just wanted to stop by and say hi." "Well, it's great to have you stop by. Always nice to have friends over. Isn't that right, Luna?" Luna looked down at Ben, then back at Twilight and said, "Certainly. Is there anything you needed, Twilight?" The purple mare rubbed her chin with her hoof, then said, "Oh yeah! I came by to tell you about Pinkie Pie's recent adventures with cloning." "Cloning?" Ben and Luna asked in unison. "Yeah, cloning," Twilight continued. "Pinkie Pie harnessed the power of the Mirror Pool to make copies of herself. Boy, did that go wrong! Anyway, me and the others took care of the clones and sealed the entrance to the Mirror Pool so nobody can use it ever again." "Sounds interesting," Ben remarked, rubbing his chin. Twilight left the room as quickly as she had entered and Ben and Luna returned to their usual business (otherwise known as passionate lovemaking) for quite a while. The clock struck noon before the two finally decided to get out of bed and get on with the day. Before they set out, however, Ben went over to grab something from his pack. Luna looked on with suspicion, and before long Ben removed an item that looked a lot like Luna, only smaller. "What is it?" The alicorn asked with confusion. "It's a plushie! I made it in my spare time. I'd like you to have it." Luna's face beamed. "Really? You made this for me?" Luna levitated the plush version of herself in front of her and examined it. The stitched eyes and mouth looked real, and her coat was very soft. She loved it. She fell back onto her bed and snuggled the plushie, continually stating how cute it is. Ben smiled and nodded his head before walking over to the window and jumping out of it. Luna was too busy snuggling her new plush toy to notice. Ben landed softly on the ground thanks to his boots which were enchanted with slowfall. With a deft jump, Ben soared through the air thanks to his boots which were also enchanted with a powerful jump spell. He landed in the Everfree Forest and decided to look for the sealed Mirror Pool since he was in the area. The afternoon sun sliced through the trees and landed on the cold ground. Throughout his journey, Ben felt like he was being followed by something mysterious. Eventually, he came across a large boulder in a hole. Assuming this is what Twilight meant by "sealing the entrance," he did what any rational person would do when a rock blocks his way - clobber it with a pickaxe. Swing after swing tore chunks of rock away as Ben to mined the rock. After a while, he broke through and slid down into the cave. When he reached the bottom and took a look around. The cave contained various rock formations and felt cold and damp. Various mushrooms emitted a bluish glow that gave the cave a dark and eerie look. The defining feature of the cave, however, was the pool of water right smack dab in the center. The water was clean and there were no waves along the surface, as if it hadn't been touched in a long while. He slowly approached the pool and looked into the water, only to see his reflection staring right back at him. Rubbing his chin, he contemplated how to summon a clone of his own. After much pondering, Ben decided to reach in and see what was in the water. He slowly knelt over and extended his arm. His hand was mere inches from the untouched surface of the reflective pool. He hesitated to reach in, unsure of the consequences. Finally, he overcame the uncertainty and stuck his hand under the surface. He was surprised to find a hand grab his. He pulled back and found that the hand came with him. The hand soon became an arm, which became a body. A very human body. The body stood up and looked at Ben. The figure was wearing a skin-tight black body suit with an orange full-face visor. Wires ran across his body and were attached to him by orange tape. The figure reached up and pressed a button on his helmet, causing his orange visor to retract. The face it revealed looked exactly like Ben's face, shockingly so. In a calm tone, the man spoke. "Hello, me." Ben stood there in silence for a short time before responding. "It's nice to meet you, me." To Be Continued...? //-------------------------------------------------------// Ending #3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Ending #3 "No, my dear, I believe YOUR time has come." Ben replied with a smile on his face. Celestia was confused. "Oh, really?" She asked. "how do you plan on accomplishing that?" In response, Ben reached into his pack and removed a large, white scroll with a gold trim. "With this! The Elder Scroll! A source of unmatched power!" The silence was as thick as butter in a freezer. "Uh... what's that?" Twilight asked, puzzled. Ben's confidence faded fast. He looked down, sighed, looked at Twilight, looked at Celestia, and sighed again. "That's not important. What is important is that I shall cast you down!" Celestia snickered. "I doubt that." Ben smiled matter-of-factly and held the scroll out in front of Celestia. He grabbed the paper and unrolled it. As he did so, a blue aura surrounded him. He began to read the scroll in a loud voice, "Dea sancta solis uti potestate superiori volumine mittat te in mare, naufrago tempus. Et hoc, ultus sum in hoc libro formam corporalem mittentes a terra. Mine, potentiam maiorem volumen ipsum non potest facere!" Suddenly, the aura around Ben grew to tremendous strength. Soon, the scroll in his hands started to glow, and a bright white beam shot out of it aimed at the princess. When it stuck, she let out a blood-curdling scream. The mane six covered their eyes to shield from the sheer intensity. Ben continued to hold the scroll valiantly. After a moment, it was all over. Celestia was gone. The scroll was gone. All that remained there was Ben and the Mane Six. Ben said, "It's just been revoked." And so, the story of Ben, the human in Equestria, the Visitor from Beyond, came to a close. The vast kingdom of Equestria was forever changed. The most prominent change was Ben's ascension to leadership. Due to Celestia's immortality and godhood, she decided to enact a law that states that when a princess is defeated, the victor shall rise to the throne. Ben did just that. As soon as he took office, he made immense changes. He expanded trade with the surrounding nations, promoted public safety and welfare, and made Equestria a better place to live, one step at a time. The masses came to adore him. The Mane Six were overjoyed that their new friend was now their ruler. Ben and them came to be good friends, and they learned something about friendship they would've never knew had he not showed up - even someone who is your worst enemy can become your best friend. Celestia, cast into the sea of time, had a lot of 'time' on her hands to think about how she'd escape. The power of the Elder Scroll had removed her divinity but her immortality remained. She vowed to return someday, but nobody knows if that someday will ever come. Luna was glad to knew that Ben was such a capable ruler, and served at his side with great pleasure. After what her sister tried to do, Luna got over Celestia being gone rather fast. As well as being at Ben's side while he ruled over Equestria, the two grew rather close. ...And so Ben, the man who cheated death when he came to the world of Equestria, cheated death once again. As ruler of the Solar Empire, best friends with the Elements of Harmony, and becoming quite intimate with Princess Luna, Ben was quite pleased with himself. He had no regrets of destroying the Elder Scroll, the only tool he could've used to escape. His vampirism gave him the immortality he needed to rule over Equestria forever more... The End